Don’t be fooled by the furry suit or the cute logo, The Cheeky Panda is serious about sustainability. Since launching in 2016, the eco-friendly bamboo paper brand has gone from strength to strength with projected turnover of £12m. Now they’re expanding their range and hoping to float.
Chris Forbes and his wife Julie Chen founded The Cheeky Panda in 2016. Since then, sales of their bamboo paper products have shot up like a bamboo forest. The two founders decided to create a more natural and sustainable alternative to tree-based tissue. Since bamboo is the world’s fastest growing plant that doesn’t require fertilisers, they felt this was a perfect solution for a world struggling with stretched resources.
Having began as primarily DTC business, The Cheeky Panda is now available in the likes of Ocado, Amazon, Tesco, Boots and Waitrose. Today, DTC only accounts for 10% of sales, while online and physical retail make up 70%. Whilst developing the product range they have also focused on building a brand that will educate the market on the benefits of bamboo as a more healthy choice.